Lamar Jackson beats Joe Burrow as Ravens beat Bengals in thriller: Key takeaways

By Jeff Zrebiec, Paul Dehner Jr. and Amos Morale III

In another classic duel between two of the NFL’s best passers, Lamar Jackson’s Baltimore Ravens erased a 14-point deficit and snuffed out Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals’ last-minute two-point conversion attempt to score on “Thursday” to win a thriller 35:34 Night Football.”

The visiting Bengals (4-5) led 21-7 in the third quarter as Burrow repeatedly hit star receiver Ja’Marr Chase en route to a historic performance. However, a forced fumble by Marlon Humphrey on the Bengals’ next drive sparked a 7-3 Ravens victory with 21 unanswered points as Jackson resumed his MVP form.

Jackson threw three of his four touchdowns on consecutive fourth-quarter drives to put Baltimore out of reach, although Burrow’s own four-touchdown night never left the Bengals far behind.

In the final minute, Cincinnati had a chance to take the lead after Burrow scored a third touchdown with Chase. However, the Bengals’ two-point conversion attempt failed.

Humphrey’s strip changed the game

The Ravens trailed 21-7. Their top offense was met with boos after their last loss ended with another punt. Burrow appeared poised to lead another long Bengals drive. At that point, Humphrey retired running back Chase Brown and Roquan Smith brought him back. The Ravens converted the turnover into a touchdown in Bengals territory.

That was the start of four consecutive touchdown drives for the Ravens that gave them the lead. The Ravens didn’t make many plays defensively, but Humphrey’s forced fumble was one of the biggest of the year. It completely changed the game. — Jeff Zrebiec, Ravens beat writer

Jackson was at his best when it mattered most

It was a slow start for the Ravens offense. By the middle of the third quarter, they had already made more punts than they had all year. But Jackson got going and added another chapter to a potential MVP season.

Jackson completed 25 of 33 pass attempts for 290 yards and four touchdowns. He got a few big first downs with his legs. Burrow was brilliant again, but Jackson’s fourth quarter heroics carried Baltimore to victory. — Zrebiec

The Bengals beat themselves again

The Bengals only have themselves to blame. They did everything right in the three quarters to not only win, but also celebrate the defining moment of their season. Instead, they scripted their season’s signature collapse.

It’s not just that the Bengals lost, it was almost all self-inflicted. Brown’s fumble, the three missed tackles on Tylan Wallace’s 84-yard touchdown and throwing incomplete deep balls on third-and-2 and fourth-and-2 in Baltimore territory. Then another defensive collapse on the Ravens’ game-winning touchdown drive.

These were avoidable mistakes and they tried to turn the game on its head and potentially ruin their season. The Bengals continued the theme of finding heartbreaking, nearly impossible ways to lose big games. — Paul Dehner Jr., Bengals beat writer

Cincy’s defense shows potential

The Bengals defense seemed to have a game it could finally build on in a largely disastrous season against quality opponents. But when the team needed them most, they reverted to their worst tendencies. After forcing five punts, four threes and outs and allowing just seven points midway through the third quarter, they allowed four consecutive touchdown drives. Suddenly they were no longer able to build pressure, tackle effectively or cover in space, all problems that they rectified in the early stages of the game. — Dehner

Required reading

(Photo: Scott Taetsch / Getty Images)